Auto Repair 85016 – Oil Change Coupon

Cheep oil changes, everybody want’s one!

Why do you want an oil change so cheep? It does not cost much anyway. Our average oil change price is $38.00 with an air filter installed. $30.00 with out an air filter. That is the, out the door price (tax, fees and service) Most cars only need 3 oil changes a year. Why skimp on an important service? 3 oil changes are less than $150.00 a year.

car care oil change sign

Changing your oil does not have to be pain full. The car care special we are running till the end of 2013 is a great deal. A full service Oil change with Air Filter if needed, all under hood Fluids topped off, Charging system checked, Battery checked, Lighting system checked, A/C system checked, Tire rotation, Brake inspection and more. It’s a huge savings and great value.

Coupon Oil Change, why use a coupon?

Yeah, you get your oil changed, but what type of product is going into your engine? Do you think that a $14.95 oil change is going to get high quality oil?

A major “chain store” retailer that does oil changes, uses recycled oil in the oil change special unless you pay extra for the new oil.

Ask for new oil and your oil change just jumped to $26.00 before tax and fees.

Every place that offers a coupon oil change is doing it at a loss. They figure, if they dangle the coupon oil change in front of you, you will spend money freely on other repairs needed.

Yeah, like that will happen, why do you think you are using a coupon.

Oil Change Loyalty

Our clients have the oil changed at least 3 times a year. During our oil change we look at the entire car. Front to rear, we look at everything we can without removing any major parts.

We do this to find any repairs that may be needed.

Yes, it is a fact-finding mission.

Yes, we want your business, but we will not lie to you to get it.

Once we inspect your car, we ask you if you would like prices for the things we see. If you say No. We note our findings as future needs on the work order and we finish the service.

No high pressure. It’s Yes or No.

Chain stores use high pressure words and sales tricks to get you to say yes today, I do not. As long as the repairs needed are not a safety risk to you, we can plan for the repairs to be done on the next visit.

Why go cheep? Be Loyal and be rewarded.

A regular client does not have to question us about why the car needs repairs, but if they have questions about the repairs needed, we are here to help them. The goal is to keep the car in good shape. Nobody want’s to sit on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck. Cars wear out and need repair. If you drive it, it will break some day.

The idea of inspecting the car during an oil change is to inform the client of upcoming repairs. This gives the client the power to plan for the repair.

I have a budget and I know I have to stick to it. Most repairs do not need to be done that second, but should be done soon. I promote preventive maintenance. Repairing the car before you break down on the side of the road.

Oil Change Challenge!

I hear people say this often, I can’t afford that much for an oil change. You must plan for your cars service and repairs. A repair savings account is a good place to start. You can also try the oil change challenge below. What goes into the jug stays in the jug.

An oil change does not cost that much. Our basic oil change is $30.00 out the door. (tax, fees and service)

A coupon special may be $14.95 before tax and fees. By the time you walk out the door your bill is close to $ 25.00 or more. So did you save any money? Maybe, but how much?

My oil change challenge: save your spare change in a large jar or 2 qt. juice jug till it is time to change your oil. I know you will have more than you need to do an oil change. Plus you will have money remaining to do extra service repairs. Do not cheat the jug, what goes in, stays in till it’s time for service.

Bring us the coupon! “Coupon Oil Change”

If you need auto repairs, bring in any oil change coupon and we will match that coupon price during your repair visit.

In fact, mention HeyAnthonyAz.com and your oil change is on me. How cool is that, get your car repairs done here and you get a free oil change.

Yes, the free oil change has a catch. It has to be during a repair visit and your repair visit needs to be at least $150.00. It’s that easy.

 

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

Going to the dealer for repairs. Auto Repair 85016

I have some clients that say this: I do not want to go to the dealer. 

Why?

The dealer has all the cool tools, great parts and factory trained mechanics. So why not go to the dealer. They know everything about the car you drive. It must be a great place.

I have worked in three dealerships. Everyone of them was challenging. Shop politics, back stabbing, steeling work from each other, breaking things to flag warranty time, high mechanic turn over and the list goes on. In short, it sucked.

Because I have morals, I never did very well at the dealership level. I did not play along with the shop games, politics and shady ways to flag time.

I did have an advantage, I could work on anything that rolled. I always had work when everyone else was standing around. In the long run I still made my pay check, but I did it the hard way, I worked for it.

I like working at a family owned repair shop.

Clients like the family owned repair shops because they get better overall service. A family shop is a great place to go for all your repair and maintenance needs. A family repair shop works on anything that rolls. Any year and model, we do not mind. A family owned shop can do everything the dealer can do. A family repair shop offers you a personal touch.

A family shop will always be a better place than the dealer, because we care about you.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

Water pump replacement – Auto Repair 85016

When is a good time to replace your water pump?

I have at least 2 cars a month that need a water pump replaced ASAP. If a water pump is leaking, you risk over heating your engine. An overheating condition can destroy an engine in less than couple of minuets.

If the engine over heats from coolant loss, repair costs can get ugly fast.

leaking water pump

This leaking Nissan water pump was changed before engine damage could happen, the leaky pump was noticed during the oil change service. Regular service visits can prevent bigger failures.

The best time to replace a leaking water pump is before engine damage occurs.

This is a no brainer. At least we would think that is the case.

On the web, you can find many auto forums that say, do not get ripped off by replacing parts before they break. Yes and No. Most forums are 50% helpful. Populated by wannabe mechanics or shade tree D.I.Y. guys and you can get advise that will cost you more in the long run.

So are you getting ripped off if you can prevent a bigger failure?

water pump failure causes timing belt and related engine damage audi a6

This mess is from an Audi A6. The water pump failed and caused the engine to over heat. The repairs totaled $6,400.00 because a $86.00 water pump failed at 39,000 miles.

Sometimes it is Ok to replace a part before it is 100% broken.

Would you fly in an airplane, if you knew the ground crew waited till an engine part was 100% broken before they replaced it?  > No! <

If I knew the airplane could break down when it was at 30,000 feet, I would never want to fly at all.

Preventative maintenance is just what it implies. Fix it before it fails.

I have a BMW client that comes in every 45,000 miles to replace the water pump, upper radiator hose, thermostat and coolant. This is because the water pump life span is about 50,000 miles and the client does not want to have any breakdowns. The above repair is only $590.00, but an engine replacement is around $9,000.00. The client understands the value and loves his car.

Volvo s80 water pump impeller failure

Water pumps do not have to leak to cause engine damage. This Volvo S80 water pump has a broken impeller. Repairs for this condition can range from $550.00 to $6000.00. It all depends on how hot the engine gets.

Yes, I know cars do not fly, but many states have safety inspections to keep cars in a safe working order. Brakes, tires, lights, steering, suspension and drive train parts must be in good working condition. If the car needs repairs, you do not drive the car till it pass’ inspection.

I do not like to wait till my car is broken down on the side of the road to take action. Maintenance is required to keep everything ship-shape and ready for the road.

leaky water pump removed from engine

This water pump caused over heating damage and the engine needed replacement because the over heating melted the pistons to the cylinder walls. The car was only 2 years old with 47,000 miles on the clock.

I like to see our clients in at least twice a year for service, but they can stop in anytime to get free air in the tires. Our clients know they are welcome to stop in anytime for a quick under hood check. A quick look costs nothing, but could save you big.

You do not have to wait till the next oil change to pop the hood.

 

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

 

DTC P0300 Random Engine Miss Fire Condition

DTC P0300 is a Random Engine Miss Fire Condition

An engine miss fire feels like a bumping sensation. Most of the time, this is noticed by the driver when accelerating. A miss fire condition may cause the Check Engine Light to turn on or start flashing at you.

Carbon tracking on a spark plug

This is a spark plug with carbon tracking. The dark black lines running left to right in the center of the image is a carbon trail caused by a faulty spark plug wire. This type of condition will cause a single cylinder miss fire.

If an engine miss fire condition is causing poor tail pipe emissions, the check engine light will start to flash on and off.

When you see the check engine light flashing at you, do not continue to drive the car. Get it in for repairs right away. The catalytic converter maybe damaged if you continue to drive the car with the check engine light flashing.

catalytic converter failure core melted

A Catalytic Converter damaged by a miss fire condition. A miss fire condition will melt down a converter very quickly.

A catalytic converter is not chump change. On a Nissan Pathfinder, I just replaced both front catalytic converters on the Nissan and it was related to a miss fire condition. It was over $1,400.00 just for the dealer cats.

Worn spark plugs, causing engine code P0300

This set of worn spark plugs was causing a DTC P0300 on a Ford 4.2 V6. The plugs are 8 years old with 102,000 miles of use. The engine needed more parts than just spark plugs. This set of plugs also shows oil build up, the engine was due for a valve job on top of all the other needs.

If the check engine light is flashing, get it in for repairs!

OBD2 cars today can store a code that will direct the mechanic to look at a specific area.

A good example of this is when you have a DTC P0302 miss fire detected on cylinder #2, you have a place to look (cylinder #2 has a miss fire). You just have to look at things that would affect cylinder #2.

Oil fouled spark plug

Oil fouled spark plug, this plug was causing a single cylinder miss fire. (DTC P0304)

On a DTC P0300, this is a random miss fire condition that could be caused by anything. Anything that changes the air/fuel mixture to all of the cylinders in the engine at the same time.

A dirty MAF sensor can cause this type of change to all the cylinders.

MAF: Mass Air Flow Sensor, is a sensor that takes reading of the incoming air into the engine and sends a signal to the computer. The signal is used to make fuel system, cam timing and ignition timing adjustments.

The driver may not feel the engine miss fire with a DTC P0300, but the driver should see the check engine light turn on. Other things the driver may notice. The engine may feel like it is not responding crisply or the driver may notice that the fuel economy has been poor.

A couple other things that can cause a DTC P0300. Poor engine compression or an engine that is out of time due to a faulty timing belt or timing chain. A large centrally located vacuüm leak or a restricted exhaust system.

——————————————————————————————–

DTC P0300 Defined: Random Cylinder Miss Fire, this condition could be caused by any parts attached to the engine or parts inside the engine. You have to look for any condition that will change the air/fuel mixture, spark or compression to all the cylinders at the same time.

DTC P0301 Defined: Miss Fire on cylinder #1 or any cylinder that the code lists. (P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304) The last number in the DTC is pointing to the cylinder that set the code.

 

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

2008 Toyota Corolla Dirty Cabin Air Filter

Toyota Corolla, Dirty Cabin Air Filter

I see many cars that need love, but I find it odd when you show someone how bad something is and they still feel it is not needed. That is just crazy.

It is the clients choice to do what they want, when they want, but waiting till it is broken just does not pay off in the long run. Preventing a break down saves time and money.

Dirty Cabin Air Filter

This filter was from a Toyota Sequoia. It was over due and blocking the air flow.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

Chevy Truck Repairs, My engine runs rough.

1997 Chevrolet truck with a 4.3 engine runs rough.

The owner has maintained the truck very well, but with 300,000+ miles on the clock you would think it would be all worn out, but it’s not. This is why maintenance is critical to the long life of your car or truck. This truck looks and drives great because the owner loves his ride. The rough running condition was not setting any codes.

(This was a No Code, Driveablity Condition) 

It was not related to the ignition system or engine compression. It was caused by a faulty fuel pressure regulator on the fuel injection unit. The only way to spot an issue like this is to know fuel delivery basics.

The failure was not computer related.

Some engine parts go bad slowly over time. The client did not know that anything was wrong. The client only said it felt rough at an idle and to check it out. This little monster below is the fuel injection unit from under the intake manifold. It is hidden from sight. So when it has a leak, you do not smell it or see it, but your fuel economy will drop when it is going bad.

The client may have noticed that the engine was using more fuel, but he does not check the fuel mileage regularly. The easy way to check fuel usage is to zero out your trip meter when you fill up the gas tank. Then at the next fill up, divide the miles traveled by the fuel used to re-fill the tank. Presto, you just found out what your fuel MPG is. Now, do this at every fill up and if you notice your mileage drop over 20% suddenly, you may need repairs or lighter feet.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

HeyAnthonyAZ?

This site was created because I have had so many people say the same thing.  (Hey Anthony how do you do this?)  (Hey Anthony take a look at this.)  (Hey Anthony what should we do?)  You get the point.  I can fix almost anything.  It sounds stupid, but it’s true.

I am Anthony Xavier an automotive mechanic in Phoenix, AZ.  I am a ASE Master Tech, with L1 advanced diagnostics and service consultant experience.  I have a military background and I have fixed a lot stuff during my mechanical career.  Hey, I enjoy what I do and I like helping clients keep the most important thing they own, “daily transportation” in good working order.

The very first time I used my dad’s tools, I was 8 years old.  Yes, I got in trouble.  I took apart his Honda motor cycle, Oops…  Let’s just say, I did not do that again.  Many of the things I know today happened because I just jumped in with both feet.  More importantly I stay with the job till it is done.

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013